Amendments to the law necessary for the reform of orphan’s courts have entered into force

“I believe that the reform of orphan’s courts marks a new era in the field of child-rights protection. This will take place alongside strengthening the capacities of the new Orphan’s Court and the State Inspectorate for Protection of Children’s Rights. Both must grow simultaneously,” believes Minister of Welfare Gatis Eglītis.

To promote decision-making in the child’s best interests, the amendments provide that, from 1 January 2022, the functional supervision of orphan’s courts will be carried out by the State Inspectorate for Protection of Children’s Rights, which will ensure oversight in cases where a significant threat to children’s rights has been identified. The State Inspectorate for Protection of Children’s Rights will be entitled to instruct an orphan’s court to reassess a case and adopt a new decision, as well as to take specific actions to end the orphan’s court’s failure to act.

Until now, the number of orphan’s court members was determined by the municipality according to the number of residents declared in the municipality’s administrative territory. In future, other important criteria will also be taken into account: the number of children and persons under guardianship, the number of cases handled by the orphan’s court, and the size of the municipality’s administrative territory.

Ministry of Justice